


Tuned For Blood

by zuzkak



Series: Tuned [1]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Angst, Angst With A Not Happy Ending, Can you tell my mental health is bad, Don't hate me I already hate myself, Established Relationship, Fights, Heavy Angst, How Do I Tag, M/M, One Shot, The warnings give it away, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Why Did I Write This?, this gets intense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 10:04:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13315845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zuzkak/pseuds/zuzkak
Summary: "You're dead to me!"He'll never forget the look of hurt on Arthur's face when he screamed that. The man stood, gathering his things and spitting angrily in Eames' direction. "Fine. Get my coffin ready, asshole."Little did Eames know that is exactly what he would have to do.





	Tuned For Blood

"You're dead to me!"

 

He'll never forget the look of hurt on Arthur's face when he screamed that. The man stood, gathering his things and spitting angrily in Eames' direction. "Fine. Get my coffin ready, asshole."

 

 

Little did Eames know that is exactly what he would have to do.

 

It wasn't meant to go this way. It was supposed to be an easy mission, get in, get out. Textbook. Maybe they were sloppy. Maybe they just weren't in tune, what with the fighting going on, maybe... maybe it was just meant to be. Whatever force commanded this animal farm, the FBI showed up, and there are bullets raining down and suddenly Arthur's shot in the chest and Eames is cradling him and there's blood everywhere and oh _God_ -

 

_I can't breathe._

 

"Arthur!" A bloody hand patting his cheek, uselessly lolling his head from one side to the other. "Shit, Arthur!"

 

"'M fine. Sleepy."

 

Eames tearing the scarf from around his neck, desperately trying to staunch the crimson stain spreading across the gaunt man's previously crisp white shirt. He was fiercely gripping to any scrap of life Arthur had, his intense emotion for the other man clouding his judgement in the final seconds. "No, no sleeping. Stay awake." His rational side knew...

 

...Arthur was doomed.

 

That's the _disgusting_ fragility of human life, created in long months, gone in a second. It's like fine china, beautiful to look at, a masterful creation, but less gorgeous when it falls from the top shelf of your grandmother's cupboard and smashes into a thousand pieces, just like that. However, just because it's inevitable doesn't make it any less of a shock.

 

Eames always knew it would happen - he just wished it wasn't like this. He wanted it to be peaceful, he wanted them to live out their days _together_ , happy _together_ , then pass away _together_ with no regrets. He just wanted them to be _together_.

 

And then, abruptly, they were _apart_ again.

 

For an absurd moment, Eames wished he and Arthur were the protagonists in that idiotic romance movie that had Arthur sobbing like a little baby into Eames' t-shirt. But life isn't a Nicholas Sparks novel, and is more like... well, life. It's real, intangible, and imperfect.

 

The nonsense of his thought made Eames bark in laughter. It hurt, it hurt a lot, and instantly it changed into an unashamed bawling, his tears mixing with Arthur's blood, staining the pavement and Eames' mind with a scarlet nightmare.

 

"Sing me to sleep, Eames."

 

_Yes, yes, that's the one thing I can do._

 

Eames took up Arthur's limp body gently into his arms, and rocking backwards and forwards complied with the dying man's wishes, weepily singing a lovely melody his own mother had when he couldn't sleep. He hoped it would be enough. He hoped Arthur died with sweet thoughts in his head.

 

At some point, Arthur's body was wrestled from him by his colleagues, and the rain began flooding down.

 

Eames kneeled there, soaking to the bone, numbly howling into the sky, as the last offering to his lost love.

 

**In the end, you can cut all the flowers, but you cannot stop spring from coming.**

**Author's Note:**

> Boy, that was a rollercoaster.
> 
> I just want to say, I'm sorry.
> 
> I think this was bad for my health.
> 
> Originally, they were both going to die but I thought the angst would be 100% better if one of them had to live without the other.
> 
> If you're wondering what song Eames sang, I imagined it was Je T'aime by Kelly Sweet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi-UJk28FRI).
> 
> Maybe one day I'll write something happy for these two.
> 
> Might do a follow up, don't know yet.
> 
> I think that's all for the notes, I need to recover emotionally.
> 
> -Zuzkak


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